Neuralink Begins Recruiting Participants For Clinical Trials Of The N1 Brain Implant
Neuralink, the pioneering brain-computer interface company founded by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, has officially begun the process of recruiting participants for a clinical trial of the N1 brain implant. With regulatory approval in May, Neuralink begins a major milestone in neurotechnology.
Neuralink announced it had received approval from an independent ethics review board to begin enrolling participants in the first clinical trial of its brain implant for paraplegic patients. The study, called PRIME (Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface), aims to evaluate the safety of the N1 implant and the R1 surgical robot, as well as the functionality of the BCI.
Candidates include people suffering from paralysis due to cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. However, the company did not disclose how many people will be recruited to participate in the study, which will take about 6 years. The company had previously planned to enroll 10 patients, but the FDA proposed reducing that number due to concerns about the safety of the trial.
In May of this year, Neuralink received the green light from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin its first clinical trials in humans. It is worth noting that at that time the company was already under close regulatory supervision in connection with testing on animals.
